COLUMBUS, OH – May 31, 2026 – One of the hottest teams in the UFL continued its late-season surge on Sunday afternoon. Already locked into a playoff berth, the Kings rolled past the Aviators 42-27 behind another dominant rushing performance, finishing the regular season on a four-game winning streak.
Louisville piled up 205 rushing yards for the second consecutive week and scored 40+ points for the second time this season as it carried its momentum straight into the postseason.
Led by head coach Chris Redman, the Kings completed a remarkable inaugural campaign and now turn their attention toward next week's playoff showdown with the Battlehawks.
The Kings entered the regular season finale with their playoff spot already secured, but there were no signs of taking their foot off the gas.
On the very first play from scrimmage, Eric Garror jumped Jalen Morton's pass and raced to the end zone for a pick-six. The takeaway marked Louisville's league-leading 13th interception and third defensive touchdown of the season.
It was 7-0 in the blink of an eye.
Morton and the Aviators responded immediately. Columbus moved into field goal range and Jonah Dalmas drilled a 58-yard field goal to get the Aviators on the board.
Then came another huge swing.
On the ensuing kickoff, Xavier Benson delivered a massive hit on Tyler Hudson and forced a fumble. Columbus recovered and suddenly had another short field to work with.
Morton wasted no time taking advantage. Rolling to his right, he delivered a strike through a tight window to Keke Chism for a 23-yard touchdown. Just like that, the Aviators held a 10-7 lead.
Louisville's offense finally took the field for the first time with 8:18 remaining in the opening quarter. Hudson quickly redeemed himself, returning the kickoff 53 yards and even hurdling a defender along the way.
The Kings appeared destined for a 53-yard field goal attempt, but after the kick was blocked, an offsides penalty kept the drive alive.
Louisville capitalized.
Chandler Rogers kept it himself on a run-pass option and sprinted 16 yards for the touchdown, restoring the Kings' lead at 14-10 in an opening quarter that felt more like a heavyweight fight.
The chaos wasn't over.
A brawl broke out between the teams following the touchdown, resulting in the ejection of Cameron Dantzler.
Following the altercation, Dalmas etched his name into UFL history.
After connecting from 58 yards earlier, he stepped up from 61 yards away and drilled the four-point field goal. The kick marked the longest field goal of the UFL season and tied the game at 14 in an electric first quarter.
With Louisville already locked into the postseason, the Kings elected to sit Rogers for the remainder of the game. N'Kosi Perry took over under center.
The game finally began to settle down after the fireworks of the opening quarter.
Perry led Louisville on a methodical scoring drive late in the first half. The Kings marched 51 yards in 12 plays, chewing up more than seven minutes before Ian Wheeler powered in from three yards out for his sixth rushing touchdown of the season.
Morton answered.
The Aviators quarterback connected with Easop Winston on back-to-back chunk plays, first on a receiver screen that gained 21 yards and then on a 14-yard completion over the middle.
Toa Taua finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run, knotting the game at 21-21.
Louisville had one final answer before halftime.
Facing third-and-15, Perry rolled out, tossed up a moon ball, and said a prayer.
His prayer was answered. Isaiah Winstead somehow came down with a miraculous 48-yard catch in double coverage. Two plays later, he topped it with an incredible one-handed touchdown reception in the back of the end zone.
Perry delivered a perfect throw, Winstead delivered another highlight, and Louisville headed into halftime with a 28-21 lead.
The 28 points marked the Kings' highest-scoring first half of the season.
Columbus struck first after halftime.
A 26-yard reception from Gunnar Oakes and a bruising 16-yard run by Taua moved the Aviators into scoring position. Dalmas continued his outstanding day by connecting from 49 yards out to cut the deficit to four.
He wasn't done. Late in the third quarter, Dalmas drilled another field goal from 51 yards away, his fourth make of the afternoon, trimming Louisville's lead to just 28-27 entering the final quarter.
He later had a chance to give Columbus the lead from 60 yards out, but his first miss of the game allowed Louisville to maintain its one-point advantage.
The Kings finally delivered the knockout punch. Mike DiLiello took over at quarterback and engineered Louisville's first scoring drive of the second half. He completed all three of his passes on the possession before Jaden Shirden exploded through the defense for a 17-yard touchdown.
The score pushed Louisville's lead to 35-27 midway through the fourth quarter.
After Louisville's defense forced a turnover on downs, the Kings put the game away.
Ian Wheeler sliced through the defense for a 61-yard run, setting up another Shirden touchdown to seal the victory.
The Kings finished with 42 points, marking their second 40-point performance of the season and fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points scored.
Louisville became just the second team in UFL history to score 30 or more points in four straight games, joining the Birmingham Stallions of 2024.
The Kings also finished with exactly 205 rushing yards for the second consecutive week.
Kedrick Whitehead Jr. led the Aviators with 10 tackles, including a tackle for loss and half a sack.
With their fourth straight victory, Louisville closed its inaugural regular season with a 6-4 record and enters the postseason as one of the league's hottest teams. The Kings will travel to St. Louis next Sunday for a playoff showdown with the Battlehawks.